Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1492490
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 FEBRUARY 2023 5 THEATRE MADC and Teatru Manoel to stage Noël Coward classic Coward's timeless comedy Private Lives will be performed in March, in homage to the playwright on the 50th anniversary of his death A wonderfully witty comedy of manners by Noël Coward is soon set for the Manoel stage, in an upcoming co-production from MADC and Teatru Ma- noel. Directed by Malcolm Galea and featuring a top cast includ- ing Edward Thorpe, Greta Agi- us, Myron Ellul, Kim Dalli and Giulia Gatt, Coward's classic play Private Lives is a delightful romp that is as funny and re- latable for audiences today as it was when it premiered in 1930. "Having directed this wit- ty, perceptive play some years back, it didn't take long to convince the MADC commit- tee to agree to the Teatru Ma- noel management's suggestion to stage this popular classic as a token of homage to Noël Cow- ard, fifty years since his death in March 1973," says Marylu Coppini, MADC Artistic Di- rector. "Audiences will love Noël Coward's inimitable rep- artee. To quote a 2014 review in the Guardian: 'This is not simply a comedy about posh people and their witty apho- risms, but one in which nobody is in control of their emotions.' Private Lives promises to be a most enjoyable evening at the splendid Manoel Theatre, with a piece of timeless theatre that has charmed audiences world- wide for nearly a century." In Coward's fast-paced Pri- vate Lives, passion, laughter, romance, anger and love set the stage for a battle of the sex- es with hilarious consequences. Divorced couple Amanda and Elyot find themselves unwit- tingly thrown together, when they book adjoining rooms while on honeymoon with their respective new spouses, Victor and Sybil. Despite their stormy relationship, this unexpected turn of events forces Amanda and Elyot to finally face their true feelings for each other. The much-loved play has not only enjoyed multiple runs and revivals in London's West End and on Broadway, but it has al- so been adapted several times for television and radio, star- ring over the years a veritable Who's Who of performance greats including Laurence Ol- ivier, Elizabeth Taylor, Mag- gie Smith, Alan Rickman, Kim Cattrall and Matthew Mac- fadyen. Booking is now open online for Private Lives at www.tea- trumanoel.mt or www.madc. com.mt, with tickets available at €25, €20 and €15, with dis- counted rates for senior citi- zens and students. But hurry – with just six performances, tickets for this unmissable pro- duction won't last long! Noël Coward's Private Lives plays at Teatru Manoel on 17, 18, 19 and 24, 25, 26 March 2023, with all performances at 7.30pm. Tickets are available online at www.teatrumanoel. mt or www.madc.com.mt. This production is presented by arrangement with Alan Brodie Representation Ltd (www.alan- brodie.com) and is suitable for audiences aged 11 and above. For more information on Noël Coward, visit www.noelcoward. com. Top: Edward Thorpe and Greta Agius, Below: L-R Myron Ellul, Greta Agius. Giulia Gatt, Edward Thorpe and Kim Dalli (photo by Justin Mamo)